The present invention relates to an educational device or apparatus which is primarily intended to teach children the shape of symbols, such as numbers or the letters of the alphabet, and, more particularly, to a device or apparatus which enables a user to learn the shape of symbols, such as numbers or the letters of the alphabet, through a variety of visual and tactile mechanisms.
For convenience, reference is made in the ensuing descriptions primarily to letters of the alphabet. It will be readily appreciated that the following is equally applicable to symbols in general, and is not confined merely to letters. The recognition of the shape of letters forms the basis of virtually all learning. Without a full facility with the shape of the letters, one is unlikely to be able to read or write well. Many techniques have been developed for effecting the familiarization of the learner with the shapes of the alphabet. Some of these efforts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,839,843, 2,454,632, 1,085,405, 3,526,975, 3,731,402, 3,778,910, 4,690,410, and 3,903,617, and in U.K. Pat. Nos. 1,225,783, 934,799, and 1,021,094. While the devices disclosed in the above publications are useful, they are also limited in scope, limiting the user to just one or a few modes of use.
It is widely acknowledged that learning, especially learning of the kind involved here, is dramatically enhanced when a variety of approaches are used to effect the learning. Thus, for example, higher efficiency is achieved whenever several of the learner's senses are actively involved. Similarly, learning efficiency increases when a task is accomplished in more than one way.
It is also well accepted that learning is enhanced when the learner finds the learning process entertaining. Thus, for example, when learning is perceived to be taking place as part of a game, the learner is more motivated to learn than when the learning appears to the learner to be by rote or under compulsion.
It would be desirable to have a learning device or apparatus which would allow a user to learn to recognize and write the shape of symbols, such as the letters of the alphabet in a manner which is highly efficient and entertaining.